Tottenham missed out on Premier League star for this reason

The agent of Liverpool star Sadio Mane has denied claims that his client opted to join the Reds over Tottenham Hotspur last summer due to the greater financial package offered on Merseyside.

The Times reported over the weekend that the 24-year-old had even visited Spurs’ training ground ahead of the proposed move from Southampton, but that chairman Daniel Levy could not be persuaded to finance his wage package.

However, these rumours have now been refuted by the player’s representative, who claims that money was never part of the thought process when making a decision on his future.

“Sadio had five offers in the summer and financially all of them were good,” agent Bjorn Bezemer told The Guardian.

“We wanted the right team, with the right coach at the right moment to arrive at the next level. That is the reason Sadio went to Anfield.”

Mane struck twice in two first-half minutes as Liverpool comfortably dispatched Tottenham 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The forward missed seven of his club’s January fixtures after being called up to the Senegal squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, where his side reached the quarter-finals only to be knocked out on penalties by eventual winners Cameroon.

The Reds undoubtedly suffered in his absence; their only win in that time came in an FA Cup replay at League Two Plymouth Argyle.

The former Red Bull Salzburg star has been in blistering form under Jurgen Klopp this season, scoring 11 times and providing five assists in just 22 league appearances.

With Liverpool now seemingly back on track in the hunt for a top-four finish, Spurs may be left wondering what might have been had Mane chosen White Hart Lane over Anfield.

Writer at Ninety Minutes Online, lifelong Aston Villa fan and passionate about all things football. Based near Coventry, England and studied English Literature at the University of Essex for three years between 2011-2014.

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